- Title: Crab, Dab & Blenny
- Author: Peta Rainford
- Publisher: Dogpigeon Books, May 3, 2021
- Genre: Children’s Fiction (Ages 4-8)
- Pages: 32
- Formats Available: Paperback
- Rating: 5/5
Trigger Warnings: None
Many thanks to Peta Rainford for providing me with a digital review copy of Crab, Dab & Blenny with a request for an honest review. Thanks also to Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me on this tour and providing the materials for this post.
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Crab, Dab & Blenny Blurb
Crab, Dab & Blenny is a fun, rhyming picture book about the serious theme of plastics in the ocean.
Fish friends Dab and Blenny are upset by the plastic that washes into their lovely rockpool home. Crab, on the other hand, just LOVES the shiny bright colour… But when Blenny gets caught in plastic twine, Crab finally understands the danger of plastics in the ocean.
Crab, Dab & Blenny is a book that celebrates friendship and the vast variety of life that exists in a quiet rockpool. Perfect for early readers or as a bedtime story for four- to eight-year-olds.
Provided by Rachel’s Random Resources for Tour Use
My Review
Peta Rainford takes children on a field trip to an ocean rockpool in her new novel, Crab, Dab & Blenny. These three citizens of the sea take us on a journey to show how ugly the ocean becomes when overrun with plastics.
Crab is a grumpy crab who hates everything about his home. His shell is too small, the rocks and seaweed are ugly. Crab always has something to complain about. That is until a shiny plastic bottle arrives in his habitat. Crab loves it and enters the bottle to use as his new home. The bottle surprises Dab but he keeps quiet about the whole situation. But, when Blenny finds himself in trouble, the entire rockpool realizes the danger.
Crab, Dab & Blenny are adorable characters. Though, they remind me of a lot of people I know. Crab loves all things new and shiny. Dab doesn’t care for it but keeps his thoughts to himself instead of speaking out. And Blenny winds up on the wrong side of something dangerous. It isn’t until Blenny’s predicament that Dab finds his voice. This tragedy also opens Crab’s eyes to the dangers involved.
My heart breaks when the rockpool turns from beautiful to foggy and unbreathable. It saddens me that compassionate humans have to go in and clean up the mess that other humans make. But, this is what our selfishness brings.
I like to think of myself as compassionate and would go out and clean the rockpools if I could. But, that doesn’t erase the fact that I am a contributor to this devastation. I try to watch myself and be as environmentally friendly as I can. But, as a person with limited funds, I can’t afford to be as Earth-friendly as I would like. However, that is an excuse. There is more I could do to lessen my footprint. Yet, I choose convenience more often than I should.
I know this book’s demographic is children. But adults should also read this lovely little book, and put themselves on task to be better citizens.
I am happy to award Crab, Dab & Blenny a full 5 out of 5 stars. The rhyming story mixed with the gorgeous illustrations makes this a great book for kids. I urge everyone to pick up a copy of this delightful book for the kids in your life. While you are at it, pick one up for yourself too.
About the Author – Peta Rainford
Peta writes and illustrates her funny picture books on the Isle of Wight, where she lives with her husband, daughter, and hairy jack russell, Archie. In normal times, Peta loves going into schools to share her books and inspire children in their writing and art. She has appeared at a number of festivals and other events, including: Barnes Children’s Literature Festival, Isle of Wight Literary Festival, Exmoor Dark Skies Festival and Ventnor Fringe. She is one of the organisers of the IW Story Festival, for children and families, which takes place every February half term.
Author’s Contact Links: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
I love that this is a children’s book that teaches them to be more environmentally friendly in a way that they can understand. Lovely review!
Thank you. ?❤️ It’s so cute too. The illustrations are lovely.